Bring in Park Kang-hyeok alone, and they'd command influence rivaling the Three Great Guilds.
Conversely, if Teinen Guild landed Park Kang-hyeok, the guild would rise to a position where it could lead all of Korea's Hunter community.
"C-Could I possibly find out where Hunter Park Kang-hyeok lives?"
"Excuse me?"
The secretary looked at Yu-jin as if she'd said something absurd.
Yu-jin dropped her head weakly.
"N-No...... never mind."
In the end, Yu-jin used her leg to press the button for the first floor.
Meanwhile, Kang-hyeok shelved every recruitment offer the guilds had sent his way.
"I've no intention of joining a guild just yet. For now...... I'd like to get a bit more used to real combat while I learn about the guilds."
"Then I do hope you'll keep Teinen Guild in mind."
At the courteous manner of S1-rank Hunter Kim Min-chan, Kang-hyeok nodded once.
"Yes, understood."
"It was truly a pleasure to meet you today."
Kang-hyeok shook Min-chan's hand and parted ways with him.
"Never thought I'd meet a guy I'd only seen on TV in person."
Kang-hyeok let out a small, dry laugh.
He'd never had the slightest intention of joining a guild.
Thanks to the memories of his past life, working under someone was...... not something he cared for.
Kang-hyeok visited a real estate office and bought a thirty-pyeong-class apartment in Dongjak-gu, along with three commercial buildings nearby.
The commercial building his parents would use sat on a 50-pyeong lot, with two floors above ground and one below.
The price ran about 1.3 billion won.
The apartment he'd picked up for around 1 billion won.
The other two commercial buildings went for about 2 billion won each; each stood on a 50-pyeong lot with three floors above ground and one below.
What was notable was how few shops occupied the buildings.
Maybe it was the sagging economy?
The number of small business owners was said to be shrinking fast.
Kang-hyeok met with the shop owners already established in the buildings, gave them relocation money, and cleared them out.
After that, he had the floors redone, the walls re-papered, and the exteriors repainted, launching into a full remodel.
All kinds of furniture and bedding were moved into the buildings.
Watching it come together, Kang-hyeok recalled the past.
"This is how I started when I built the sect back then, too."
Using a small wooden building as his base, he'd summoned Homunculi and organized a mercenary corps named the Black Moon Faction.
The organization that became the foundation of the Heavenly Demon God Cult.
"Makes me nostalgic."
Kang-hyeok stepped into the newly renovated building and summoned his Homunculi.
"We greet the Creator."
Their gear was much like in his past life.
Shabby leather armor and a notched iron sword you might find in the medieval era.
An outfit that made an F-rank Hunter look better off.
[Status]
Name: Arbon
Race: Homunculus
Title: -
LV: 1
Strength: 10
Agility: 10
Vitality: 10
Mana: 0
AP: 0
Skills: Swordsman (LV.0)
Help available
"First, I'll teach you some basic common knowledge. The rest you'll learn from the computer."
He'd already downloaded onto the computers the lecture videos North Korean defectors watched when settling into Korea.
There were about thirty computers ready.
After teaching them some light basics, Kang-hyeok handed out Inner Cores.
The Inner Cores he distributed were 'LV.12 Inner Cores,' which raised mana by 120 in a single stroke.
They could boost their mana without spending any AP.
'In my past life, too, I owed a lot to Inner Cores.'
Only one Inner Core could be taken per day.
Take two at once, and you'd get no more than one's worth of effect.
Summoning his Homunculi one after another, Kang-hyeok educated them and raised their mana.
One whole commercial building, from the basement to the third floor, was used entirely by the Homunculi.
Lodgings, a cafeteria, lecture rooms, and so on.
Half of the underground level, once a parking lot, now served as a training room and storage.
While the Homunculi adjusted to life on Earth, his family moved to Dongjak-gu.
The goods his parents had sold at the hardware store were all loaded onto a freight truck and moved to the commercial building he'd put in his parents' names.
"Why are your eyes......"
His father pointed a finger at Kang-hyeok's red eyes.
"My eye color shifted a little when I Re-Awakened."
"Your face too, a bit...... no, quite a lot, seems changed......"
Kang-hyeok gave a wry smile.
"Anyway, take a look at the building first."
"You bought this whole building?"
"Yes. Use the second floor as storage. I'll have a freight elevator installed for you separately."
"No, what on earth......"
The hardware store his parents had run was only about 24 pyeong.
Now it was made up of a 50-pyeong shop floor on the first level and 50 pyeong of storage on the second.
The underground parking lot could be used for storage as well, of course.
"Where did you even get the money......"
"Oppa!"
At last of age, his younger sister, Park Yu-na, thrust her smartphone toward Kang-hyeok.
"O-Oppa, you're a State-Power-Class Hunter?!"
At Yu-na's question, both their parents looked stunned.
"I mean, they're saying the Park Kang-hyeok who went into the Gwanggyosan Gate became a State-Power-Class Hunter! And went from E-rank to S1-rank at that——! You said you were an E-rank Hunter too, Oppa!"
His father and mother had been harboring a faint suspicion of their own.
The name Park Kang-hyeok had become quite famous on TV and the internet.
With his face never shown, they'd stayed quiet, but seeing their son buy up commercial buildings, suspicion had crept ever closer to certainty.
"Yes, your brother is Park Kang-hyeok, the S1-rank Hunter. So from now on, if anyone gives you trouble, call your brother right away."
"F-For real? You're really an S1-rank Hunter, Oppa?"
"Is it true?"
"Kang-hyeok, are you really......"
Kang-hyeok drew his Hunter license from his coat.
"Here."
The pristine white Hunter license card had S1-rank clearly engraved on it.
"I'm not your porter son anymore, Mother, Father. I've put this building in both your names — the apartment too. For now, I've deposited about 1 billion won into your account, Mother. Pay off all the debts. And Yu-na, I put about 10 million won into yours too. Use it properly when you go out with your friends."
The whole family stared at Kang-hyeok in shock.
"N-No, what do you mean, a billion won!"
"Your son's finally getting to play the dutiful child for once, so don't scold him too much. Use some of it to swap out the car, too. Oh, and don't worry about taxes. I asked the Association, and they said they'd handle it."
"O-Oppa, I love you!"
Yu-na threw herself into Kang-hyeok's arms.
"From now on, don't just look for used books. Buy your textbooks new. I'll send you 2 million won a month, so use it for tuition too."
"Got it!"
Kang-hyeok stroked Yu-na's hair.
"Isn't this too much?"
"It's fine. Once I really start clearing dungeons, I'll be earning plenty, so don't worry — go check inside the shop. You'll want to see if the shelves are all in place."
His parents went into the shop and began checking where the shelves stood.
With a new sign ordered as well, the move wrapped up in no time.
The newly moved-into apartment was fitted with all kinds of furniture and the latest appliances.
"Do you like it?"
"Yes, of course we do......"
"Is this my room?"
"Yes. Study hard in here."
"Are you...... going to keep living on your own, Oppa?"
"I bought an apartment not far from here. I'll live there."
"Ah......"
"Why not just move in and live with us?"
At his mother's question, Kang-hyeok gave a wry smile.
"When I go into dungeons, I might come out late. It's not great to be coming home at dawn all the time...... and anyway, I'm almost thirty. It's about time I lived on my own."
"True, your brother needs to be able to meet a girlfriend, too......"
Kang-hyeok ruffled his sister's hair.
"Ngh......"
"I'm thinking of building a separate guild. There are people I met while working as a porter, and I want to try clearing dungeons with them."
"All right, just be careful."
"No more dangerous jobs like this last one......"
"I'm a State-Power-Class Hunter. Even if an S-rank monster shows up, I can handle it in an instant, so don't worry too much."
Since a Hunter's profession put his life on the line, his parents couldn't help but worry.
"For a while, anyway, I only plan to enter low-grade dungeons for the combat experience."
To ease his family's worries as much as he could, Kang-hyeok stressed that nothing life-threatening was involved, and even told them how many Hunters would be with him.
"You'll have thirty people along?!"
"Yes, so I plan to buy a bus and hire a driver."
"Th-That much?"
"With that many of us moving together, it's safe."
At the number thirty, his family nodded.
With a group that size along, they could feel a bit reassured.
"Oh, should we order jjajangmyeon? We just moved, after all......"
"Sure, and order some tangsuyuk too......"
Kang-hyeok ordered jjajangmyeon, and sat on the floor with his family, chatting over little things as they ate.
Afterward, he unofficially established GH Guild.
It wasn't an officially registered guild.
Just an organization he'd put together at will.
Four 25-seat buses were parked in the underground lot of the commercial buildings designated as GH Guild's First and Second Headquarters.
"You have no ID, so you can't enter the Gates the Association manages. Which means...... we'll head down to Jeolla and hunt monsters. Once I've subdued them, deal with them quickly."
The eighty-odd Homunculi gathered in the First Headquarters' underground lot nodded, resolve on their faces.
"Arbon, I appoint you Vice Master of GH Guild. When I'm away, you'll give the orders."
"Yes, understood."
Arbon, a black-haired young man in his twenties, answered with a composed face.
"We'll set off the moment the bus drivers arrive, so check your gear!"
The Homunculi inspected the armor and equipment they'd been issued in advance, and Vice Master Arbon confirmed the stock of lowest- to low-grade potions.
Once the preparations were complete, the bus drivers GH Guild had hired arrived at the underground lot.
"Y-You're really paying two million won? What about the fuel......"
"The destination is Wanju, in Jeolla Province. Drop us off, wait in Sejong City, and come pick us up in five days. The pay is two million won, and adding five days of motel costs at 50,000 won a day — 200,000 won for four nights and five days — plus 150,000 won for meals, we'll pay an additional amount. In total, we'll pay you 2.35 million won."
"Ah......"
"We'll give you 500,000 won up front, in cash."
When Kang-hyeok glanced at Arbon, Arbon handed the drivers an envelope of cash he'd prepared in advance.
"You do have your licenses?"
"Yes, of course!"
"Then we're counting on you for the next five days. Everyone, board!"
The Homunculi began climbing onto the buses.
Watching them, the bus drivers let out small, bemused laughs.
Who would ever imagine armed Hunters lurking in the basement of a commercial building like this?